UCS Chapter 42

The teacher searching for his daughter broke the deathly awkward silence.

 

The man in his forties, upon seeing his daughter, momentarily went weak in the knees before quickly taking her into his arms.

 

After hearing Gao Shi’s explanation of what had happened, he broke down in tears, disregarding his image in front of colleagues and students, his heart filled with fear of what could have happened.

 

The teacher cried so hard that his daughter became bewildered. The little girl bit her finger, looking back and forth between her sobbing father and the surrounding onlookers, completely confused.

 

Should I… should I continue crying or not?

 

Security guards came with limestone and water hoses to deal with the concentrated sulfuric acid on the ground. According to the little girl’s fragmented testimony, the bottle was given to her by Qin Shi, who had asked her to hold it for a moment.

 

The helpful little girl could never have imagined that someone would use her as leverage to exploit another person’s kindness.

 

When the vocal student had run out earlier, he had called for help while also reporting to the police, because judging from the force of Gao Shi’s kick and the height of Qin Shi’s flight, this was clearly not a simple fight.

 

The timing was perfect. Within minutes, a police car arrived at the scene, sirens blaring “coming, coming, coming.” Two officers got out of the car, and as the crowd automatically made way, the officers looked down and-wow!-made direct eye contact with Gao Shi who had just looked up.

 

“Brother Gao?!”

 

Gao Shi was immediately “confiscated.” The police car, again blaring “coming, coming, coming,” packed up the family of three and took them away.

 

An ambulance followed closely behind, wailing “Ai-yo~ Ai-yo~” as it transported Qin Shi and the officer guarding him to the hospital.

 

Actually, Gao Gusheng should have been sent to the hospital for examination too, but with the bodyguards absent, Gao Shi didn’t dare let his son out of his sight.

 

Fortunately, Gao Gusheng’s condition wasn’t serious, and he should wake up soon.

 

Speaking of bodyguards, Gao Shi couldn’t help but suspect that this time was too coincidental.

 

Originally, three bodyguards had been assigned to follow Gao Gusheng, precisely to prevent a situation where they might be lured away, yet somehow all three had encountered problems simultaneously.

 

The situation with Auntie Yun had been clarified-the emergency was her mother suddenly fainting.

 

Strangely, once Auntie Yun arrived at the hospital, her mother had regained consciousness.

 

To be safe, they had conducted a full examination, which showed that apart from slightly elevated hormone levels, her mother was in excellent health-better than many twenty-somethings who stayed up late every night. She always took the center position when dancing in the square and was unbeatable when it came to grabbing eggs at sales.

 

This fainting spell occurred because while she was taking a walk, two dandelion seeds happened to float by, take root, and sprout, causing her to have an allergic reaction.

 

However, this allergic reaction came on fiercely but subsided just as quickly, leaving no aftereffects.

 

Unable to find any real problems, her mother immediately struggled to leave the hospital. From the video Auntie Yun sent, it was clear that the old lady was very displeased with her daughter for preventing her from going square dancing.

 

“Oh my, your mother is the flower of the square dancing group, in tip-top shape! I’ve already made plans with Old Xu for tonight, and I still need to pick out clothes. Go, go, go, don’t meddle in adult affairs, you’re still just a child.”

 

The thirty-three-year-old “child” gave Gao Shi a bitter smile. “Captain, you’ve seen my mother’s spirit. She seems fine, but I’m still a bit worried and would like to take a few days off.”

 

Gao Shi readily approved Auntie Yun’s leave, but after ending the video call, he received the medical reports of the other two bodyguards.

 

They showed food poisoning.

 

Food does spoil easily in summer, which didn’t seem unusual, but Jing University’s cafeteria was known for its strict standards, making such a major issue extremely rare.

 

Even more coincidentally, it was precisely today that Auntie Yun’s mother inexplicably fainted and Qin Shi infiltrated the school.

 

Years of battling with plot developments had taught Gao Shi that the plot couldn’t forcibly change everyone’s destiny trajectory; it could only use a series of coincidences to try to push events back to their original track.

 

For instance, in his dreams, Gao Gusheng’s encounters with those scumbags all had causes and effects. The plot couldn’t arbitrarily change this world or create things that didn’t exist in it-like summoning Godzilla out of nowhere to snatch Lele and throw him to the scumbags.

 

The plot might cause Auntie Yun’s mother to suddenly faint, but this dizziness couldn’t affect her health or make her faint while crossing the road and have an accident. All the plot could do was make her faint briefly without affecting her health or endangering her safety.

 

And even this fainting couldn’t directly affect a person; it needed to use elements of this world as a medium, like the dandelion.

 

As for food safety issues, the plot had even less control. It couldn’t accelerate the time flow of food to make it spoil faster, nor could it swap clean food with substandard food out of thin air, let alone cause so many students to get diarrhea simultaneously.

 

Therefore, Gao Shi was inclined to believe that this food poisoning incident was either someone’s mischief or the school’s spicy hot pot stall genuinely had supply issues. Auntie Yun’s mother fainting was the plot’s intervention.

 

After two bodyguards got food poisoning, the plot managed to remove Auntie Yun, giving Qin Shi an opportunity.

 

The next step would be to investigate the person in charge of the spicy hot pot stall.

 

While pondering this, they arrived at the police station.

 

Ying Bujie and the still-unconscious Gao Gusheng were taken to a rest area, while Gao Shi went to give his statement.

 

Speaking of which, Gao Shi was professionally adept at giving statements. Without waiting for the note-taking officer to ask, he clearly explained the entire sequence of events.

 

Qin Shi had two ribs broken by Gao Shi’s kick, but since this case involved a violent crime, a third party had unlimited right to defense, so Gao Shi was not guilty.

 

Later, there might be other matters to handle, but that’s a story for another time.

 

After a while, Gao Gusheng woke up and also recounted what had happened-this was becoming familiar to him. The first time he was at the police station, he had gotten Wen Liang sent in; this time, he had gotten Qin Shi sent in.

 

Gao Gusheng grabbed Gao Shi’s arm with an indignant expression, “Dad, do I have some kind of grudge with R-rated situations? Either I’m mistaken for ‘that,’ or I almost become the one who gets ‘that.'”

 

Gao Shi affectionately patted his son’s head, but then heard his dog-like son continue, “Hmm? Maybe our family has a grudge with R-rated situations. Last time I was mistaken for ‘that,’ this time Dad was mistaken for ‘that.’ Next time, could it be Grandpa… Ouch! Ow ow ow, Dad, I’m sorry!”

 

Gao Shi mercilessly pinched the back of his son’s neck, “Your grandfather is already so old, don’t let him lose his dignity in his later years.”

 

At that moment, Gao Gusheng’s 44-year-old grandfather suddenly sneezed.

 

…

 

With the matter handled, the three of them could go home.

 

Gao Shi looked back at the police station, then withdrew his gaze.

 

This time, Qin Shi was charged with attempted rape and kidnapping, intentional injury, and illegal possession of controlled chemical substances. With multiple crimes combined, the nature was severe, and he likely wouldn’t get out for at least ten years.

 

Gao Shi casually placed his hand on his son’s head and ruffled it vigorously, drawing an innocent and bewildered look from Gao Gusheng.

 

“What’s up, Dad?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

Gao Shi smiled.

 

In his dreams, Qin Shi wasn’t considered a scumbag protagonist, just a passerby, a cannon fodder.

 

Just yesterday in his dream, Gao Shi had seen Qin Shi like a wolf drooling with foul saliva, eyeing Gao Gusheng with greedy eyes.

 

He didn’t dare make a move because everyone in the company knew that Gao Gusheng belonged to CEO Li.

 

When he stared at Gao Gusheng, he met Li Mochen’s gaze, full of warning.

 

Although he lusted after Gao Gusheng, he didn’t dare challenge Li Mochen’s authority, but his dark desires accumulated day after day.

 

Later, perhaps Li Mochen had some kind of mental lapse.

 

He was called to Li Mochen’s office and saw Gao Gusheng on the carpet, his body flushed with an enticing pink.

 

Gao Gusheng had been drugged.

 

Li Mochen gripped Gao Gusheng’s chin, forcing him to look up.

 

“Quite stubborn, aren’t you?”

 

“I enjoy breaking tough bones.”

 

Qin Shi froze. He sensed something was about to happen, and his blood boiled with Gao Gusheng’s uncontrollable, broken moans.

 

Li Mochen let go and looked up at Qin Shi.

 

“You want to have him, don’t you? Here’s your chance.”

 

“Right here.”

 

Qin Shi opened his mouth, finding his voice terribly dry.

 

“CEO Li, I…”

 

“Don’t act innocent with me,” Li Mochen’s tone was impatient. “I know everything you do in private. Do you want to or not? Say it.”

 

Qin Shi’s throat bobbed.

 

He knew there must be some unclear relationship between CEO Li and the enticing young man before him. Getting involved might not end well.

 

He should have refused.

 

He should have immediately denied it, should have been fearful and respectful, should have sworn to heaven and earth that he had no such intention.

 

But the spacious office was filled with an alluring fragrance, drawing his gaze to its source-the slightly trembling young man.

 

The young man looked up, his eyes almost losing focus, glistening with tears like a lake under moonlight.

 

He pleaded with his gaze, hoping Qin Shi would save him. Being looked at by those eyes made Qin Shi feel like he was the young man’s only deity.

 

The evil desire in Qin Shi’s heart suddenly swelled, and he walked toward Gao Gusheng as if bewitched.

 

So beautiful.

 

When Qin Shi tore open the young man’s collar, the shattered hope in his eyes was like moonlight broken in the lake’s waters.

 

At that moment, he deeply realized that so-called bewitchment was just an excuse.

 

It was clearly his burgeoning desire, dragging the pure moonlight down into the abyss with him.

 

…

 

That day, Gao Gusheng nearly died in that spacious office.

 

After Qin Shi, there were subordinates-Li Mochen’s subordinates seemed endless.

 

He was forced into an abyss of desire, his spine broken, his legs cut off, stripped of his dignity as a human being.

 

He lay on the filthy floor, his lifeless eyes watching the sunset outside the window, unable to understand why he was still alive.

 

Later, perhaps due to Li Mochen’s ridiculous possessiveness, Qin Shi was dealt with.

 

Gao Gusheng was present when Qin Shi was dealt with. Li Mochen seemed to think he should be happy, should be grateful, thankful that the busy CEO would punish someone for a mere plaything like him.

 

But looking at Qin Shi crying with snot and tears, Gao Gusheng felt only numb sorrow.

 

Qin Shi died.

 

His many girlfriends cried until they nearly fainted.

 

Han Zhimiao, upon hearing the news, collapsed on the roadside while pregnant. When she woke up, she learned that her premature baby couldn’t be saved, and she herself was injured, never able to become a mother again.

 

The young man whom Qin Shi had forcibly “turned,” already naturally sensitive, developed severe bipolar disorder after Qin Shi’s death, and the brush in his hand lost its color.

 

The sixteen-year-old girl’s depression worsened. Upon learning of Qin Shi’s death, she smiled softly, deceived her parents, put on her favorite clothes, and jumped from a tall building.

 

Clearly, they weren’t the ones at fault, yet they suffered endless torment.

 

Fortunately, now everything was different.

 

Han Zhimiao and the nineteen-year-old girl encouraged each other to emerge from the shadows. The young man, as the only male victim, took on the responsibility of protecting the girls, and after becoming a protector, the smile on his face actually increased.

 

The underage girl, under the guidance of a psychologist, was gradually improving. She asked her parents to bring a letter to Gao Shi, filled with gratitude in her elegant handwriting. She promised to study hard and provide her parents with a good life.

 

The girls who had been hurt by Qin Shi leaned on each other, becoming stronger.

 

Everything was getting better.

 

And there was Gao Gusheng, his son.

 

Gao Shi looked down at Gao Gusheng, who was rummaging through his backpack. Gao Gusheng had returned to his previous carefree and lively self. An eighteen-year-old youth should be full of youthful vitality like this, not locked in a room, withering day by day.

 

“Ahhh, Dad, the lollipop broke! This was the roundest one I picked, and it broke! Damn you, Qin Shi, I will never forgive you!!!”

 

Gao Gusheng held up a stick in despair. Hanging from the stick was a plastic wrapper filled with white powder and colorful candy fragments.

 

Gao Shi couldn’t help but laugh loudly, “What is this? A dog-beating stick?”

 

Gao Gusheng was distraught, “No! Why did it break so completely! This lollipop was originally as big as a pot lid!”

 

Gao Shi laughingly took the stick, and under Gao Gusheng’s pitiful gaze, opened the drooping plastic wrapper and tossed a piece of candy into his mouth.

 

“Tastes good. It’s just broken a bit, still edible.”

 

Seeing his son comforted, Gao Shi’s heart softened. He ruffled Gao Gusheng’s hair, “Want to go to the arcade?”

 

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